By IANS
Islamabad : Foreign diplomats stationed here are afraid that clashes at Lal Masjid could spill over to areas where embassies are located and that radical Islamists could target foreign interests.
They fear that violence at the mosque complex, located in the heart of the national capital, could spread to adjacent areas like the Embassy Road housing a number of foreign missions.
"Though there is no immediate threat to us, we cannot remain aloof from the shootings that have claimed a number of lives," a diplomat told the Daily Times on condition of anonymity.
The government has asked diplomats to restrict their movements and inform the police before venturing out in the city.
Another unnamed diplomat said the police operation was due for a long time as Lal Masjid clerics have been involved in creating unrest in the city.
Gunfire from the madrassa students and the resistance faced by the army "shows that the students have been training for the day", he added.
Media reports have said that what was a local dispute over demolition of the mosques for town planning acquired a diplomatic dimension when militants and students from the Lal Masjid last month abducted six Chinese women masseurs working at a massage parlour here. They alleged that the parlour was doubling as a brothel.
China took serious note of the incident and demanded higher security for Chinese nationals working in Pakistan at a meeting with interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao.